Two Cranes, Yang Zhengxin

Artwork Overview

Yang Zhengxin, Two Cranes
Yang Zhengxin, Two Cranes
Two Cranes
1981
born 1942
Two Cranes, 1981
Where object was made: China
Material/technique: paper; ink; color
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 89 x 48 cm
Mount Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 194.7 x 63.2 x 0 cm
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 198.5 x 63.8 cm
Roller Dimensions (Width x Diameter): 72.3 x 3.5 cm
Credit line: Gift of George and Cindy Jones
Accession number: 1984.0031
Not on display
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Archive Label 2003 (version 1): Taiga was a pre-eminent master of the Nanga school, a group of artists in Edo-period Japan (1615-1868) who were inspired by Chinese literati painting. He loved to travel and to climb mountains, and several of his landscapes depict actual sites in Japan. The left screen represents a conventional view of Mt. Fuji seen from a distance. He describes Mt. Fuji with soft lines and uses the tarashikomi technique of ink or water dropped on still-wet ink. The complementary right screen suggests a view of the mountain as if one were actually climbing it. Taiga uses a variety of dots and thick wavy strokes to depict the swirling clouds and rock formation. Archive Label 2003 (version 2): Cranes and pine trees are long-standing East Asian symbols of longevity. Paintings such as this one are frequently presented to the elderly on their birthdays. A graduate of Shanghai Art Institute, Yang specializes in bird and flower subjects. Here he defines the birds and pine with bold, powerful strokes that are a hallmark of his style. Bright washes of color provide a balancing contrast to the rough, dry brushstrokes. The touches of red color on the cranes' heads add further accent.